


An Unexpected Development

by Abreebee123



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Alrighty so this was supposed to be one chapter, And so is Boris, And while Henry's not complaining, BUT THE PEOPLE HAVE DEMANDED MORE, But now Flashlight-Head is following him around, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, He's extremely confused, Henry basically befriends Norman, Henry doesn't know what to think, Henry remembers the other loops, so here it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2020-09-30 21:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20454152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abreebee123/pseuds/Abreebee123
Summary: Henry is on edge as he trudges through the Projectionist's maze. He hates being knee-deep in the ink, his ability to run and fight greatly impeded. The Projectionist himself is nowhere to be seen. However, when their paths finally meet, Henry is caught off guard by how different this loop proves to be.





	1. A New Friend

**Author's Note:**

> So my little sister started a short story about Henry befriending Norman. The spelling and grammar was atrocious, but as I was reading, I pretty much thought: 'Hey! This isn't half bad, I bet I could make this into something really cool.' So I basically rewrote it, showed it to her, and she LOVED it. She then asked me to post it on AO3. So here we are. Hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry is on edge as he trudges through the Projectionist's maze. He hates being knee-deep in the ink, his ability to run and fight great impeded. The Projectionist himself is nowhere to be seen. However, when their paths finally meet, Henry is caught off guard by how different this loop proves to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my little sister started a short story about Henry befriending Norman. The spelling and grammar was atrocious, but as I was reading, I pretty much thought: 'Hey! This isn't half bad, I bet I could make this into something really cool.' So I basically rewrote it, showed it to her, and she LOVED it. She then asked me to post it on AO3. So here we are. Hope you enjoy!

Henry waded through the ink, gripping the pipe so tightly his fingers turned white. It had been a long, long time since Henry stopped bothering to count the loops, but something about this part always set him on edge. As he entered the inky maze that the Projectionist roamed, he realized something. Alice hadn't said her usual, _ There he is. The Projectionist. Skulking in the darkness _ , yada yada yada. He also hadn't seen him yet, but he was supposed to before he even stepped into the ink. He pondered this briefly, then shook his head and kept going. He wasn't about to complain. Plus, it didn't pay to focus on the differences between loops. Though there were sometimes tiny little changes that accompanied his own different actions, the overall loop was always the same. Nothing he did seemed to change the fact that he always had to turn on The Machine, he always fell through the floorboards, he was always caught by Sammy, he always met Boris, he always got caught up with the Angel's tasks, he always... It was no use dwelling on all that. _ Just keep going, Henry._

Henry picked up the fourth ink heart. He still hadn't seen Norman anywhere. Again, he wasn't complaining. Whether or not it was permanent, death wasn't exactly pleasant. 

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and a familiar ear-splitting screech. Out of habit, he darted toward the nearest Miracle Station. It was then he realized he wasn't being chased. He paused, looking around. The Projectionist was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, he dropped the hearts into the Miracle Station, then started walking slowly through the halls. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it was too different to just be another small change. He could hear splashes in the ink and static, but the static somehow managed to sound... frustrated. Henry peeked around the corner, only to see a Miracle Station laying on its side. It took him a moment to realize that Norman was under it as he was half submerged in the ink. The Projectionist turned his head, catching Henry in his bright glare. He screeched and continued to struggle to get out from under the Miracle Station. Henry took a cautious step forward. Norman seemed to notice and only grew more frenzied in his attempts to escape. He decided to try talking. 

“Norman?” He asked gently. Norman froze, staring at him. Henry dropped his pipe on a chair and held up both hands, taking another step forward.

“Listen, I’m not gonna hurt you.” He continued to stare at Henry, but he seemed more… curious... than anything else.

“Just let me get close, alright? I’m going to help you.” He said slowly, as though he were talking to a cornered animal. From how the Projectionist usually acted, some would say he might as well be. But Henry knew there might just be a bit of humanity left in him, just a bit of who Norman used to be somewhere. He was now within arms reach of the Miracle Station. Norman tensed, his body language suggesting doubt. Henry pretended not to notice as he crouched down, hooked his fingers under the edge of the Miracle Station, and lifted as hard as he could. Holy moly, he hadn’t realized just how heavy those wooden stalls were. He’d usually only been interested in hiding from whatever was chasing him at the moment. 

“C’mon, hurry up.” He managed through gritted teeth. Norman scrambled out of the way and Henry dropped it back into the ink with a splash.

Henry slowly turned to face the former projectionist, squinting in the bright glare of Norman’s projector. A static-y crackling came from the speaker embedded in his chest.

But he made no move to attack him. 

Henry sighed in relief. Then, as he turned and started walking towards the chair, he realized that Norman was following. He hadn’t been expecting that at all. He reached out to pick up the pipe. In his peripheral, he saw Norman tense. He froze, turning his head to look at him. Norman looked like… well the best way to describe it was like a cat about to pounce. 

“Listen,” he said slowly, withdrawing his hand.  
“I need something to defend myself with.” Before he could say more, Norman crossed his arms, seemingly glaring at him. 

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled. 

“But you’re defending me if we run into trouble,” he said, waving his finger at Norman. A sound of amusement came from the speaker. Henry turned and started in the direction of the Miracle Station that he’d left the hearts in. Though he’d been mostly joking when he said Norman would have to protect him, he was honestly pretty hopeful for that exact thing. The Projectionist was probably the second strongest being in the studio, Bendy himself taking first place, obviously.

Henry reached the Miracle Station. Just as he opened the door, a cold, wet hand grabbed his shoulder.

“It’s alright, I’m just grabbing these.” He reassured, leaning over and grabbing the ink hearts. Norman, seemingly satisfied, let go. 

“Now, the last one is just over there,” he said, nodding towards another hall. Norman trudged over and disappeared from view, returning moments later, ink heart in hand. 

“Thanks.” Norman handed it to him and Henry started toward the elevator. 

“Why aren’t there ever any Searchers or Butcher Gang clones down here?” He inquired. He received only a shrug in response. Whether that meant Norman didn’t know or couldn’t say, he wasn’t sure.

“Aside from the corpses, I mean. Not much for conversation, eh? My other companion isn’t either.” Norman tilted his head at this, but Henry didn’t elaborate. Norman would see soon enough. He just hoped they got along. 

Finally, they reached the wooden stairs. Part of him wondered if Norman would keep following. He’d never come up the stairs before. In fact, in previous loops, if Norman was chasing him and those stairs were closer than a Miracle Station, he’d just go up them and be safe. Then again, this loop obviously wasn’t like the others.

As he climbed the steps, he was elated to hear Norman’s heavy footsteps behind him.

“We’ve just gotta get these hearts to Alice, th-” Norman stopped abruptly. Henry turned to see Norman staring at him. 

“What now?” He asked, confused. Norman put his hands on his hips. 

“I suppose you don’t like Alice, hm?” He shook his head so hard it just about gave Henry a seizure. 

“Yeah, well I don’t like her either. Trust me, I _ really _ don’t like her,” he promised, thinking about the countless times she’d made him fight the only friend he had in his place. 

“But this is the last thing she needs me to do, then…” He hesitated, knowing exactly what happened after that. But it wasn’t like Norman knew he was in an endless loop, that he knew every single thing that would ever happen. Except for this, clearly. Either way, it would be better to just act like he didn’t know what was really going on. 

“Then she’ll let me go. Ok?” Norman crossed his arms.

“Listen, you don’t have to get anywhere near her. You don’t even have to get off the elevator.” If Norman had eyes, Henry swore he would have rolled them. Then he slowly shook his head and relented, continuing to follow him up the stairs. 

They reached the elevator. 

“Hey there, Boris!” Henry stepped onto the elevator, the ancient contraption creaking dangerously. It downright lurched as Norman stepped onto it, causing Henry to nearly stumble. Boris looked from Norman to Henry, pie-cut eyes wide and quizzical. Norman glanced at the toon, then ignored him to look at Henry instead. A smile slowly formed on Henry’s face, the first one in a long time. 

“Well Boris, looks like we’ve got a new friend.”


	2. This Wasn't Supposed to Happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Norman move on in search of Boris, even though they both know it's no use.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a short 1-chapter story, so continuing it is a bit of AN UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENT, BUH-DUM-TSHHHH. My sister wants me to continue it, my friends want me to continue it, and you guys want me to continue it. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. MORE NORMAN.  
I had loads of fun writing this and developing his character and his and Henry's relationship. This'll still probably be fairly short of a story, no more than four or five chapters total. However I'll do my best to make them a decent length and as enjoyable as possible. With this chapter and probably the following ones, I skip some of the more tedious bits, sticking to the parts that are more interesting. As soon as you start reading you'll see what I mean. That being said, enjoy!

_ “Have you ever wondered what Heaven is like?” _

Henry gritted his teeth as he listened to the Angel’s little speech. Norman was glancing upward as the elevator rose, and Boris was just gnawing on his bone. Henry took a deep breath. The elevator fall would certainly hurt, as usual, but it wouldn’t kill him. Somehow. 

_ “Are you ready to ascend, my little errand boy? The Heavens are waiting.” _

Her voice broke, beginning to cry. Henry took another deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what was about to happen. There wasn’t much else he could do. 

The crying turned to laughter, but it wasn’t happy laughter. Suddenly, the elevator began to plummet. Henry’s stomach jumped into his throat. He glanced over toward the other two. Boris was cowering, which was expected, and Norman was looking around wildly as he screeched loud enough to drown out Alice’s words. Henry stumbled over to Boris, wrapping his arms around the toon in a reassuring hug. Again, there wasn’t much else he could do. With Norman drowning out what Alice was saying, there was no way for him to tell exactly when the elevator would crash. So he simply closed his eyes as he held onto Boris.

The next thing he knew, Boris was shaking him awake. Alice was sauntering down the hall, and before he knew it, Boris was gone. He vaguely noticed Norman laying on the ground out of the corner of his eye, but couldn’t make out any more than that before everything went dark.

~~~

When he came to, his first thought was Norman. Henry managed to sit up, pushing down waves of nausea as his vision swam. He took deep breaths as he looked around. Norman was in the same place as he was earlier. Apparently Alice wanted nothing to do with him, since she only took Boris. He was very glad for that. Scrambling to his feet, he made his way over to see if he was alright. Now that he had a closer look, he realized that the Projectionist was in rather rough shape. The light from the projector was mostly off, just flickering from time to time. The lens was cracked, and there was a large dent in the side of the projector. He gently shook him by the shoulders.

“Norman, hey, you okay?” He asked softly. He didn’t want to startle him too badly. Even if he was acting more… human… this go around, he’d still killed Henry dozens of times before.

Norman’s light flickered more before finally coming fully on. He turned his projector head side to side slowly, seemingly looking around. Henry let go and stepped back, giving him some space. Static came from the speaker, growing in volume.

“You alright, buddy?” The static continued to get louder. Henry winced at the grating noise. Norman sat up, looking from the rubble of the crashed elevator to him.

“Norman, calm down.” The noise stopped suddenly. Norman slowly stood up, one inky hand tracing the dent in his projector. He glanced around the room again, then tilted his head at Henry. 

“She… she took him.” Henry didn’t need to say any more than that. Norman let out a short crackle of static, staring at the floor. 

“Well, let go find him, shall we?” He said, turning toward the hallway. He looked back to find that Norman hadn’t moved. Even though he lacked literally all facial features, he was very clearly saying, _ ‘really?' _

“Alright, then tell me what we should do instead.” He wasn’t being sarcastic, he really did want to know if Norman had any ideas. He’d tried not rescuing Boris in the past, since he already knew there was no way to save him. But he could never find a way back up to the higher levels. So his only choice was to keep going forward, which eventually lead to… well, being forced to fight the beastly, mutilated version of Boris while the Angel taunted and watched. He glanced up at Norman to realize he’d been zoning out. Norman was staring at him, arms crossed.

“Seriously, do you have any ideas? I’m no fool, there’s probably no way we can get Boris away from Alice. So if you know something else we could do, trust me, I’m all ears. Otherwise, we have to at least _ try _ to save him. Well?”

Norman finally uncrossed his arms and just shrugged. 

“Fine. Let’s go, then.”

They reached Grant’s office. Norman refused to even step foot inside it. Henry internally agreed with him. He’d avoid that room altogether if the valve wasn’t in it. Plucking it from the ink, he paused on the way back to the door. He knew what was on the tape, but how would Norman react to it? His curiosity got the better of him and he stepped over and pressed play. He watched the Projectionist from the corner of his eye as the tape played. He could still remember the first time he’d played it, and how much it’d creeped him out. His best guess was that it was Grant, considering it was in his office. 

Norman tensed, his inky hands curling into fists. He let out a loud burst of static. Then another sound, similar to his trademark screech, but not quite as loud. Henry finally turned and walked over to him. As soon as he reached the doorway, Norman grabbed him by the shoulder and practically dragged him away from the room, his fingers digging into his skin painfully. Now that he was so close to him, he could tell he was shaking, just slightly. 

“I’m sorry.” Henry said quietly. Norman didn’t even react, continuing at the same pace.

“For… for what happened to all of you.” He said slowly, watching to see if Norman would have a negative reaction. 

“If I had known what was going on here, what Joey was doing here…” Norman paused, turning his head to look at Henry. He stared at him for a few long moments before slowly letting go of his shoulder and turning to walk on ahead with a slow shake of his head.

~~~

_"Alice, ooo, she doesn't like liars."_ The tape came to an end. Henry peeked his head around a bookshelf to see Norman leaning on the table, staring at the tape. 

"You alright?" He asked. Norman just gave him a single nod, not even glancing toward him. Henry pushed in the last book. The room suddenly shook wildly, his vision contorting in hues of red and gold and a searing pain flaring up behind his eyes. He gasped and stumbled, grabbing onto a bookshelf to steady himself. He'd been so caught up worrying about Norman that he'd almost forgotten that happened. Everything went back to normal as quickly as it started. Henry blinked hard, looking up to find Norman standing in front of him. Concerned-sounding static came from his speaker. It was now that Henry noticed he was getting better at reading Norman's emotions based only on his body language and the tone of his static.

"I'm okay, Norman, don't worry." He reassured, but Norman didn't look convinced. 

"Just a sudden headache, is all. I'm fine now." Norman let out a huff and shook his head, turning toward the now-open door. 

~~~

“Alright, you can go first, I’ll stay back and pull the lever for you.” Henry gestured toward the rickety basket suspended over the inky abyss. Norman shook his head. 

“It’s alright, I’ll come right after. You’ll be fi- NORMAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Henry exclaimed as Norman suddenly picked him up and tossed him into the basket. He pulled the lever and waved, static crackling from the speaker that could be interpreted as laughter. Henry rolled his eyes. 

“Fine, you win.” 

Halfway across, the pulley system stalled, the basket rocking precariously from side to side. Henry tensed, holding the side tightly. It hadn’t broken before, but he wasn’t sure how much ‘what did or didn’t happen in past loops’ could be trusted. On the other side, Norman screeched, the sound echoing in the cavernous area. 

“I’m alright! I’m alright!” He called as the basket started moving again. Norman fell quiet, but it was clear he was anything but calm. Henry reached the other side and got off. After what seemed like an eternity, the basket returned to the other side and Norman got in. He reached Henry without any further incident, thank goodness. The last thing they needed was more complications. 

~~~

Norman froze as Henry opened the door to the Lost Ones’ room. Henry started forward, then realized he wasn’t following. He looked back and saw that Norman was just staring at the Lost Ones, and they stared back. Henry put a hand on his shoulder, gently guiding him forward. Norman complied, though he still just stared around at the Lost Ones. Even if he could speak, Henry had a feeling he’d still be quiet. As they walked between the Lost Ones, Henry noticed that they shined away from them. Usually they were indifferent to his presence until later, but now they were certainly wary and distrustful of them. They reached the vent. 

“Alright, I’ll go first, that way you can light my way.” Henry said, hoping to direct his attention elsewhere. It didn’t seem to be working. 

“Norman.” He finally turned to look at Henry. They looked at each other for a few moments before Norman let out a static-y sigh. Henry climbed into the vent. With just a moment of hesitation and a glance backwards, Norman followed. 

As they reached the other side, Bendy appeared suddenly. Norman screeched. Bendy paused, staring at them. Then- was it just Henry’s imagination, or did his perpetual grin get even larger and more menacing? Bendy turned and disappeared, the inky webs doing the same moments later. Henry turned and kept going, and he could hear Norman following. 

~~~

The carnival music played as Henry beat the games for what could very well have been the thousandth time. 

“Alright,” he sighed. “Do you want to help me get the other switches?” 

Norman gave him a single nod and disappeared into one of the doorways. 

~~~

Henry glanced at the lit up lights next to the lever as he headed into where he’d normally have met Norman for the second time. There were only two left. He made his way through the hall and down the stairs, wincing as he stepped into the ink. He hated the way it seeped into his shoes. It was much easier to pull the two switches without having to avoid Norman this time. He started up the stairs again. Norman would probably be done with his switch by now. Henry allowed himself to be optimistic. 

Maybe, just maybe, more things would change. Maybe… they could break the cycle. 

Just as he allowed himself to think this, he heard a familiar hiss as inky webs surrounded the area. _ No, no, no. _This wasn’t supposed to happen! He made a mad dash for the Miracle Station, opening the door and getting inside. Just as he was he was slamming it shut, gloved hand grabbed it. His breath caught in his throat and Bendy slowly pulled the door open. It didn’t even seem to matter that Henry was trying to close it as hard as he could, the mangled toon opened it with ease. Bendy reached out with his other hand as Henry pressed himself against the back of the Miracle Station. He squeezed his eyes shut as his inky claws wrapped around his throat and pulled him out of the Station. Death at the hands of Bendy was always extremely painful, but he could only hope that he killed him quickly. Just wishful thinking, as it turned out, as Bendy lifted him into the air and started to squeeze harder, crushing his windpipe. He kicked his legs and pulled at Bendy’s arm with his hands, even though he knew it was no use. 

Just as the corners of his vision started to turn black, he heard a familiar screech. His eyes widened, Bendy suddenly dropping him as Norman barreled into him. He gasped for breath and managed to stumble to his feet. Henry reached toward the Miracle Station, barely getting inside before his vision contorted in hues of red and gold, a sharp pain behind his eyes. _ No, no, no, _ was all he could think as he watched an all-too-familiar scene play out before his eyes. 

Henry didn’t move for a long while, trying to calm his ragged breathing as hot tears threatened to spill. He blinked hard, rubbing his eyes. Finally, he took a deep breath and opened the door. As he stepped out of the Miracle Station, he glanced down at the projector, that, until recently, had been attached to Norman’s shoulders. He crouched down, continuing to stare at it. It was still smudged with ink, the dent in the side prominent, and the lens was completely shattered. He took another shaky breath as he stood up and turned away from the scene, slowly walking down the hallway toward the haunted house. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHH I'M SORRY >~<


	3. Not Just a Mindless Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Norman is gone, and the loop continues as normal. Henry is distraught, believing he's lost his only chance at breaking the cycle. But is anything here in the studio really as it seems?

Being forced to kill Boris was heartbreaking, as always. He’d gotten pretty numb to it after so many hundreds of times, telling himself that the soulless monstrosity wasn’t Boris anymore, but now… now the fight caused a whole new wave of emotion to crash over him. One he hadn’t felt since the first few dozen loops. As Boris’ body dissolved into ink, there was an enraged scream coming from behind him. He forced himself to turn away from the now-empty space on the floor, finding himself face to face with the Angel. He let out a soft sigh through his nose as she was stabbed from behind, the sound so soft that it was hardly noticeable. 

Everything was continuing like normal. How it was supposed to. As if nothing had changed. Tom grabbed him, wrenching his arms behind his back and deftly tying them together. He didn’t bother struggling. He was just so tired. So tired of all these loops. But more than that, he was angry. At himself. Allison and Tom lead him to their hideout, and while the other angel tried talking to him, he wasn’t listening. He was thinking.

It had been a change in the loop. An actual, genuine change. It had filled him with hope, a glimmer of optimism that things were actually truly changing. After so very much of the same, over and over and _over_, it had _changed_. But now… but now the loop was moving on as if it had never happened. It was his fault. If he could have just some _something_ to prevent Norman’s death, anything. Made it to the Miracle Station faster, somehow communicated to Norman to just let him _die_, then explain the best he could later. He’d had exactly one chance during all this time, and he’d ruined it. But even as these thoughts raced through his head, he knew there was nothing he could have done. He was completely helpless. And Henry hated feeling helpless, _being_ helpless. Knowing that at every turn, every single damn thing that happened, there was nothing he could do. Knowing that nothing would come of anything he did. 

It caused a feeling he knew well to wash over him. Hopelessness. The same feeling he’d felt his second loop, as he realized, horrified, that this horrific nightmare was happening all over again. The same feeling he’d felt his third loop, when he realized not a thing had changed. That it was happening _ again. _ He hadn’t felt it in a while. Like with killing Boris, he’d grown numb to it. Just repeating loop after loop, again and again, knowing there was little chance he’d ever escape. 

But now, _ now _, that feeling hit him like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind from his lungs. He sat on the threadbare mattress in the hideout, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. 

He finally stopped, just feeling drained. He glanced up wearily. Around, at the room he knew every corner of. He was done feeling sorry for himself. His aching body protested as he got to his feet and stepped up to the wall. Allison and Tom were gone at the moment, but they’d return in a few hours at the least. Reaching an ink-stained hand upward, he pushed the spoon hanging on the wall. The panel sunk into the wall and a secret room opened. Stepping into it, he lifted the cover off the back of the toilet and pulled out a pipe. He was getting out early. Whenever he did this in the past, Allison and Tom still somehow popped out just in the nick of time. Doing the exact same thing, save for a comment about escaping and getting himself into trouble instantly. 

No, he wasn’t escaping early for the sake of changing the loop. _ That _ was hopeless. He’d decided he couldn’t wait around another 24 hours wallowing in self pity. He was going to speed up the end of the loop, wait for it to reset, then try again. See if anything was different. If the same thing happened with Norman again. It was grasping at straws, he knew it. Desperate. But he couldn’t help it, not after the change. It had given him _ hope. _

_ But what if _ … a tiny, persistent voice in the back of his mind asked. _ What if this is just it? Giving me a little hope to keep me going, make things interesting, but in the end, it was never a possibility? A cruel joke concocted by this inky hell? _ He shook this thought out of his head. If this was the case, he would completely and utterly lose his mind. So instead, he didn’t dwell on it. After escaping his cell, Henry hit the handle of the door with the pipe until it dented enough for the lock to be rendered useless. He pulled the door open and stepped into the murky hallway. He moved at a jog, easily dispatching the single Searcher that appeared. Then he reached the boats. Without skipping a beat, he pulled the lever twice and got into the boat. 

~~~

After what seemed like forever, he reached the Harbor. _ Get through Sammy, then the Administration Offices, then His lair. _He told himself. Then the loop would reset. His grip on the pipe tightened as he drew nearer to Sammy’s little shack. Then,

“BETRAYED! ABANDONED!”

~~~

“You said _ I’d _ be _ fre e _ _! _Well I’m going to free _ you _ , now. Free your head, _ right off your shoulders! _” Sammy ranted, standing over him, axe in hand. 

“Sheep sheep sheep…” Henry realized something.

“It’s time for…” Tom wasn’t sneaking up behind Sammy yet. That hadn’t happened before.

“_ Sleep.” _ Sammy swung the axe downwards. Henry clenched his eyes shut, but as he did so, he heard something. Something that caused him to immediately open his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Because what he heard was a grating, mechanical, screech, so loud he thought his eardrums would burst. Henry nearly laughed at the sound, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

Sammy froze mid-swing. His eyes widened, too, as he started to turn toward the sound. However he couldn’t do anything more than that, as suddenly, _ Norman _ barreled into him! The momentum sent Sammy straight through the rotting wood of one of the shacks. A plume of dust shot into the air as the rickety building collapsed on top of Sammy. Norman screeched again and stomped toward the rubble. 

All Henry could do was stare in absolute shock, and watch what played out before his eyes.

And… wince when he saw what Norman did to Sammy. That had to have hurt. Norman turned toward him and began walking over to him. Finally, he was standing right over Henry. Part of him noticed something was slightly wrong, he looked too tense, almost threatening, but he ignored it in his elation.

“You- you’re alive!” He managed, the tears now flowing down his face. There was more to it than that, more that just Norman being alive. But at the moment, that was all he could manage as he stared up at Norman. Norman reached out his hand, and for a split second, Henry thought he was going to help him up. Then he realized he was reaching _ for _ him. He opened his mouth in question but then Norman grabbed him by the shirt collar and lifted him into the air like he weighed nothing. 

“H-hey there bud, you alright?” He asked nervously. In his excitement, he’d forgotten that the ink creatures weren’t always the same after coming back from death. Sammy was a very, very clear example. 

“It’s me, Henry. Remember me?” He asked slowly. The Projectionist’s light was blinding, their faces just inches apart as Norman seemed to be... examining him.

Norman dropped him, and then he was on the floor, gasping and trying to figure out what was going on. Did Norman remember him? Was he going to hurt him? He looked up at him, but Norman was just… glancing around. Ignoring him. Then the ground began to shake. 

Searchers and Lost Ones began pouring out of the wooden shacks and bursting out of the ground. They advanced on the two of them, and Henry scrambled to his feet. However, before they got closer than ten feet, they just stopped. They were completely surrounded, but they didn’t make any move to come closer. Norman stood at the center of the circle, whipping his head around. If a single one _ did _ come closer, Norman just stared at them and they backed off. They seemed to be watching them. Angry, of course, for Norman had just killed Sammy. That’s what happened every time. But now, well they weren’t attacking. Yet. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to last. It was as though they all heard some invisible instructions, as they all began advancing at the exact same time. Closing in on them. Henry looked worriedly at Norman. He didn’t have his pipe, he’d dropped it when Sammy grabbed him. It had clattered to the ground, not that far away, but far enough that it was behind the first wave of Searchers and Lost Ones. And though Norman was strong, did he stand a chance against this many by himself? Norman was still in the exact middle of the circle, and Henry found himself inching closer to him as said circle tightened. He could only hope he didn’t mind. The Searchers and Lost Ones grew even closer, and Henry winced. Was Norman going to do anything at all? 

Cold wet hands were reaching for him. Lost Ones grabbing at his arms and shoulders, Searchers grabbing at his legs. He pulled backward, trying to shake them off. His back bumped Norman’s, but still he just stood there. The hands were almost hungry, desperate, grabbing him and pulling him in different directions. Henry let out an alarmed cry as he was suddenly on the ground, struggling to get out from under the mass of cold wet bodies that were on top of him. Pushing the air from his lungs. Smothering him. Ink getting into his nose and mouth as he tried to breath. 

“Norman— _ help... _ ” He wheezed, not enough air in his lungs to say any more. Then he was coughing as rancid taste of ink burned his mouth and throat. Without warning, Norman screeched. The Searchers that were the closest to the Projectionist burst instantly. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what was going on. Then he was free, and coughing up ink. He’d drowned in the stuff twice before, in a few... _ rather unfortunate _ loops. Out of thousands of loops, those were his least favorite _ by far _. He spat the last of the ink from his throat and snorted, trying to get it out of his nose. All the while he rubbed his eyes with slick hands. He didn’t open them until he was sure ink wasn’t going to get into them. 

When he did open them, the first thing he saw was Norman racing towards him.

“Agh—!” Was all he could manage as Norman pulled him into a bear-like hug. He felt several bones pop in protest.

“I-I missed you too, buddy.” Norman didn’t seem to be letting go any time soon.

“H-hey, you’re kinda crushing me.” Norman dropped him immediately, so quickly that Henry almost fell to the floor again. It was then he realized he was completely covered in ink from the Searchers. 

“What I wouldn’t give for a hot shower…” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. The ink was already starting to dry, becoming a crusty mess. He looked up at Norman. He was standing there, watching him, rubbing his arm with his other.

“Are you okay, Norman?” He hesitated for a moment before giving him a single nod.

“Well, thank you. For everything.” He said, looking straight at him. Norman gave another nod. 

“Uh, so, I guess I should fill you in? Why don’t we sit down though. I’m really sore.” He winced as he sat down on the ink-slicked ground and Norman hesitated for a moment before joining him.

“Boris… he’s gone.” Norman gave another nod, but was looking at the ground now. Henry figured that even though he’d ignored the toon for the most part, he did care at least somewhat.

“After I… found out he was gone, the Angel herself tried to do me in.” Norman looked up in alarm.

“But then, well… then another Alice and another Boris saved me. They killed the Angel.” Norman nodded slowly, seemingly thinking about this. 

“They didn’t trust me though, so they brought me to their hideout. Kept me locked up for a few days.” He decided to give Norman the official version of what happened the loop. 

“Then… Bendy found the hideout.” Norman tensed at this. 

“The other Alice tried to let me out, but the other Boris, he doesn’t like me much. He wouldn’t help her. Eventually they had to leave, or risk getting killed.” Norman get out a rumble of static.

“Yeah, I know. But then I found a secret room, and inside was a pipe. I used the pipe to escape. Then, I found that ink river.” He nodded toward the river of ink, and Norman glanced at it before turning back to Henry.

“I used a boat to get here. Then I ran into Sammy. You know the rest. Thanks for saving me. Again…” Norman crossed his arms and shook his head, seemingly saying ‘What would you do without me?’ 

“What about you? You run into trouble?” Norman just shook his head.

“Well then, I guess there’s only one thing we can do. Press on.” Norman got to his feet before Henry could even move, and reached out a hand to help him up.

“Thanks,” he said, grabbing his hand as Norman pulled him up. Henry started walking over to the rubble where Sammy had landed. Norman watched questioningly. He stepped carefully through the rotting wood, then found what he was looking for. He held up the axe triumphantly as he turned back to Norman. 

“This is better than some pipe,” he explained. Norman nodded. They began walking towards the only other way to go from the Harbor. They walked down the hallway in silence until they came to the boards suspended precariously over a pitch-black drop. Of course, Henry knew exactly what was down there. 

As he stepped onto the first board, he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He turned. Norman shook his head.

“Well, it’s the only way to go. What do you suggest?” Norman looked back at the boards, then around the hallway. He let out a crackle of static that sounded like a sigh, then he let go.

“Alright then, I guess.” He started walking across the first board. Norman waited until he’d stepped onto the second before starting across the first.

As he reached the middle of the board, there was a familiar creak, then it snapped and sent him plummeting through the darkness, Norman’s alarmed screech echoing through the shaft. He landed in the ink at the bottom with a splash, his axe nowhere to be seen. He didn’t bother looking for it. He could never find it. Instead, he looked upward and cupped his hands to his mouth as he shouted.

“I’m alright! It’s okay! I’ll try to meet up with you later!” He climbed out of the pool of ink, and just as he did so, he heard Norman screech again. He turned, about to shout up to him again, when there was suddenly a loud splash, coating him with ink. 

Before he had time to react, Norman was there, grabbing him by the shoulders, garbled static coming from the speaker. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He repeated. 

“Sorry if I scared you.” Norman let go with a huff and slipped past him, looking around the large room. Henry immediately walked over to the Film Vault. Norman didn’t follow for a moment, he was still looking around. Then he came back to where Norman was. 

“Alright. The way to the Film Vault is flooded, and I have a feeling that’s the way to go.” Norman nodded in acknowledgment. 

“We have to fix some pipes in the next room to drain it, there’s one of the Gent makers right there. The same machine we used to make a cog to fix the pulley.” Norman nodded again, glancing toward the machine. Henry walked past him into the office and pulled the lever. Norman stepped over to the machine, staring at it.

“Maybe we can find some thick ink to use in the Administration Offices— wait a minute what are you—?!” Norman had dug a hand into his stomach and was moving it around, seemingly looking for something. Then, to Henry’s astonishment, he pulled out a glob of thick ink. He held it out for Henry to see.

“Wha— No! Nuh-uh. We are _ not _ doing that, _ put it back _!” Norman shrugged and shoved it back into his abdomen. Henry gave him a sidelong glance before continuing. 

“As I was _ saying _ , we might be able to find some in the offices. Let’s see if we can find any. We are _ not _ using yours.” He reiterated. Norman shrugged again and started walking down the now-open hall. Henry shook his head in disbelief before following. 

A Piper walked past. Norman suddenly screeched and raced toward it. It turned and swung at him, but Norman didn’t even react as he grabbed it and flung it into the wall. It melted into ink and was gone. 

“Well that’s handy,” he said to himself. Norman turned to him waved for him to come on. Then he turned right and started walking. Henry followed. 

Norman took out the other two Butcher Gang clones that wandered these halls as they walked, then they finally reached the little pool where the thick ink was. Henry reached in and grabbed the glob, before turning and realizing that Norman wasn’t there.

“Norman?” He heard a screech coming from Joey’s Office. He darted over. Was he in trouble? 

Well, it seemed to be the exact opposite. Norman was gleefully pulling drawers out of Joey’s desk and throwing them against the wall. The wood split apart and the contents scattered. Norman kicked the desk, then looked up and noticed Henry standing there. He rubbed one arm with the other and trudged over, almost like a little kid who’d been caught doing something naughty. Henry raised an eyebrow at him. Norman looked up and watched as Henry dropped the glob of ink and stepped past him into the room. Then, Henry turned with a smile.

“Well, why’d you stop?” 

Then they were both smashing Joey’s office together. 

~~~ 

Henry and Norman finally stood still, surveying the damage. The place was _ trashed _. Chairs smashed against the wall, the chest of drawers empty of drawers and on its side, the desk completely decimated. 

“That was the most fun I’ve had in a _ long _ time.” Henry said with a sigh. Then he grabbed the glob of thick ink he’d dropped. Norman grabbed one as well and they walked back together in silence. 

~~~

It only took about ten minutes to finish fixing the pipes, and most of that was listening to tape recordings. Henry knew them all by heart, but he listened to them for Norman’s sake, who hadn’t heard them. Henry wondered what exactly was going through his mind. He always was rather quiet after listening to them, except for Wally’s chocolate cake one. He let out a sort of static-y chortle at that one. Finally, they entered the Film Vault. Norman immediately noticed the fact that the vault door had been cast to the side carelessly and was coated in ink. He froze, staring at it, as Henry walked into the vault. Henry bent down to the box that he knew was empty aside for more ink, and he heard Norman come up behind him. Then, a voice that startled him badly, for he hadn’t been expecting it. 

“Looks like whatever was here was taken long ago.” Allison said. Then she seemed to notice Norman. Norman whirled around and screeched. Henry had to move fast to grab Norman before he attacked the two toons. 

“Norman! Norman, it’s alright, it’s alright, calm down,” he appealed, both hands on his shoulders, stopping him from charging. Henry knew he couldn’t _ really _ stop Norman, as he was much stronger than him. What Henry was depending on was that Norman would listen to him. Fortunately for all of them, Norman finally calmed down. 

“What is _ wrong _ with you? Why is _ this _ thing with you?” Allison stormed, pointing at Norman with her sword. Tom was growling, his lips pulled back in a snarl, teeth exposed. Henry had never seen him so angry. The wolf took a step toward the two of them, holding the axe like he was ready to use it. Norman let out an ear-splitting burst of static. Not one of his screeches, but… _ loud _.

“EVERYBODY CALM DOWN.” He shouted, trying to regain control of the situation.

“Please-! Just let me explain, all of you!” He pulled Norman to the side, giving him a stare.

“Norman, I know you have no reason to trust them, but they’re ok, alright? They won’t hurt us.” He promised.

“But I expected better from you. I need to be able to trust _ you _, alright?” Norman let out an angry huff, but nodded.

“Now,” he continued, turning toward Allison and Tom.  
“Listen. He’s not just some mindless monster, his name is Norman. And he’s saved my life several times. You aren’t going to hurt him, got it?”

“First you escape, then you just start running around with the dangerous creature that usually roams Level 14, I just-! I can't believe you.” Allison exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Tom nodded in agreement.

“That's not what happened. I had a run-in with Sammy and he saved my life. And I met him long before I met you two. As a matter of fact, he saved me from Bendy. By _fighting_ him. And he _died_ because of it. You _ aren’t _ going to _ hurt _ him, _ got it? _” He finished with a glare. Allison seemed to pause at that, glancing at Norman from the corner of her eye. Then she sighed and shook her head.

"Fine, as long as it doesn't give us a reason to." Tom just crossed his arms.

“You know what? Close enough.” He grumbled, looking from Norman to the toons. Well, they weren’t attacking each other. So I suppose that was a win? 

“Now that _ that’s _sorted, I know where we have to go. But it’s not going to be pleasant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter so much words cannot even begin to describe it


	4. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After parting ways with Allison and Tom, the two unlikely companions face off against the Ink Demon himself. With Norman's help, does Henry have a chance to break this endless cycle?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry it took me this long to write this chapter. Because I didn't originally plan on actually FINISHING the story, I had no idea where I wanted it to go, so I had a bit of writers block. When I did (slowly) start getting inspiration, I was also really busy. I finished the majority of this chapter at 3 am. BUT HERE IT IS: The second to last chapter! Enjoy!

“You want to go to his _ lair _? Are you crazy? That’s death!” Allison exclaimed before giving Norman a side glance. If Norman noticed, he didn’t react. Tom was being openly hostile toward the Projectionist, glaring daggers and gripping the axe, but he thankfully didn’t act on his hostility. 

“That’s where the trail seems to lead.” Henry said, the words forcing themselves from his lips for the thousandth time. 

“Well, it’s probably close by. Probably through that door.” She nodded toward the door to Henry’s left, behind Norman.  
“But it won’t be easy to open,” she added. “I’ll need three gears, a crowbar, and-” Tom started walking towards it to simply punch it open, as usual. Before he reached it, Norman turned and suddenly punched it, much in the same fashion that Tom usually did. Tom stopped in his tracks. Norman turned back to the three of them and crossed his arms, looking slightly amused. Henry couldn’t help but chuckle at the toon’s reactions. Tom glared at Norman before turning his irate gaze toward Henry. 

“That works too… I guess,” she said finally, narrowing her eyes and shooting Henry a look very similar to Tom’s. Henry just shook his head and started walking through the now-open door, Norman and the two toons following. 

As they reached the next few rooms, Norman glanced around in what could only be described as confusion. Was it because this area, for whatever reason, resembled the first floor? As they continued, Henry gave the desk that was supposedly his own a wide berth. They turned down the next hallway, and a wide glass window greeted them. Henry winced in anticipation. 

Right on cue, inky webs appeared, coating the hall on the other side of the glass. He saw Norman stiffen from the corner of his eye. 

“Quiet. Don’t make any noise,” Allison said no louder than she had to. Henry glanced at Norman. He was staring straight at the pane of glass as Bendy appeared, his bright light illuminating the opposite wall through the glass. 

“Look away! He’ll see your light!” Allison exclaimed, sounding alarmed. Henry wasn’t sure if it was true or not, but he wasn’t willing to test it. He placed a hand on Norman’s shoulder, a silent affirmation of the toon’s words. Norman immediately ducked his head, his flickering light focused on the floor instead. 

“I think we’ll be okay, he’s just walking down the hall. He doesn’t seem to notice us,” Henry whispered, mostly trying to put Norman at ease since he couldn’t see what was going on. Keeping his hand on the Projectionist’s shoulder, they started forward. 

Finally, they reached the next turn.

“Alright, we should be okay now, Norman.” Henry said, withdrawing his hand. Norman finally lifted his head, casting a nervous glance backward. 

“It’s okay,” he repeated. To be honest, he was happy Norman hadn’t had a worse reaction. But with what was still to come, he didn’t get his hopes up too much.

~~~ 

“Wow! I’ve never seen _ this _before!” Allison breathed, stepping past them and staring in amazement at The Machine. 

“I don’t see any way across... nothing to build a raft with.”

“We’ll have to wade across.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Not that he could, anyway. 

“We can’t. We’re not like you, Henry.” He cast a glance to his right, where Norman was standing. The Projectionist was looking around in what looked like confusion, then Henry realized. His light didn’t shine all the way to The Machine. He couldn’t see it. _ Norman is nearsighted. _ The stray thought and the sheer ridiculousness of it nearly made him snort, although it _ did _ make sense. His attention snapped back to Allison, who was still talking. 

“If we go in there, well… A drop of water in the ocean in rarely seen again.” 

“Then I guess it’s all up to me… and I don’t even know what I’m doing here. I don’t even know why this is all happening to me.” 

“You’re here for a reason, Henry. There’s always a reason. Even when you can’t understand it. It’s time… Set us free!” With an internal sigh, he started forward toward the pool of ink. Before he even had time to wonder what Norman would do, a cold, wet hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him backward, hard. He turned, squinting in Norman’s light. He opened his mouth to speak, but Norman cut him off with an ear-splitting burst of static and a firm shake of his head. 

“Norman, I have to-” He shook his head again, not letting go of his shoulder.  
“ _ I have to.” _ He reiterated. There wasn’t a way back up anyway, and he sure as heck had tried before. Norman didn’t relent.

“There’s no way back up. We fell how many floors back there? And before that, there are no more boats to get us back across the river. And before _ that _ , the elevator is a pile of smoking metal! Even if we could get past one obstacle, there’s a dozen more in our way! There’s no way out, I’ve _ tried! _ ” He finished with an exasperated wave of his hands. He knew his last sentence wouldn’t make much sense to Norman, as he’d hardly tried to get out at all when he’d been with him. But he just didn’t _ care _ anymore. He let out a deep, weary, sigh. 

“I’ve tried, okay? My only hope now is that maybe, somehow, destroying Bendy will get us out of here. I know, I know. It’s grasping at straws. But what other choice do I have?” He said quietly. Maybe it would just be easier if he told them the truth. He’d told Allison and Tom in past loops, hoping that maybe that’d change something, but they hadn’t believed him. So what was the point? 

Norman didn’t move for a long time, silently regarding his words. Then, slowly, he let go of his shoulder, his arm dropping to his side. The two toons hadn’t said a word, watching in silence. Norman turned, looking past him toward The Machine. Even if he couldn’t see it, Henry knew that he’d probably figured out what it was. He watched in confusion as Norman stepped toward the edge. Then he looked back at Henry and gave him a single nod, and Norman jumped into the pool of ink. 

Henry could have laughed out loud in relief. Instead, he followed Norman, jumping into the off the ledge before glancing back at the toons. Allison looked surprised for a moment before smiling softly. Tom was glaring less than usual. 

“Good luck Henry.” Allison called.

“And… you too, Norman.” She added after a moment. It was the first time she’d used his name. Tom gave a curt nod. Which, for the terse toon, was the closest to a ‘goodbye’ or ‘good luck’ they would get. Henry gave the two a wave and a nod before turning back toward The Machine and trudging through the ink behind Norman. 

As they entered The Machine, Norman looked around in what seemed to be awe. Although, from the way his body was slightly tensed, he looked rather apprehensive as well. Henry was feeling quite a lot of the latter himself. He couldn’t mess this up. 

They stepped into the throne room, Norman’s gaze locked onto the ink-coated plush chair in the center of the room. He froze, then glanced behind them at the way they’d come.

“He doesn’t seem to be here… yet.” Henry said quietly to the other. Norman didn’t look convinced. Henry stepped forward, toward the tape, but then he paused for a moment, an idea popping into his mind.

“Norman,” he started slowly. “Can you go stand behind the throne?” Norman, of course, looked at him like he was crazy.

“Please? Trust me.” Norman lingered for a moment more before slowly shaking his head and trudging around it. Once Norman was out of sight, he pressed the button. 

“_ It’s simply awe-inspiring what one can accomplish with their own hands! _” 

Joey’s voice rang out, and Henry’s gaze turned toward the screens above them, his body moving without his permission. 

“_ A lump of clay can turn into meaning… If you strangle it with enough enthusiasm!” _

Part of him wondered how Norman was reacting to the tape. He couldn’t see the other at the moment, nor hear him.

“_ Look what we’ve built! We’ve created life itself, Henry! Not just on the silver screen, but in the hearts of those we entertained with our fancy moving pictures.” _

That same part of him suddenly felt nervous. Did something happen? Was having Norman stand behind where Bendy usually appeared a mistake?

“_ But… when the tickets stopped selling… when the next thing came along… only the monsters remained. Shadows of the past.” _

He took a deep breath. He could manage to do _ that _, at least. He couldn’t start overthinking it now. Anxiety would only trip him up when things got messy.

“_ But you can save them, Henry! You can peel it all away. You see, there’s only one thing Bendy has never known. He was there for his beginning, but he’s never seen: The End.” _

Just as his mouth opened, there was a screech that made him tense, his eyes shooting toward Norman as he could suddenly move again. He had come halfway around the throne and was staring… behind him._ I should have expected that _, he thought as he whirled around. Just as he had realized only moments before, Bendy was standing just past the threshold. His eyeless gazing seemed to flicker between the two of them. Then, he turned sideways slightly, raising one hand and glancing at it as that all-too-familiar transformation began. Except it was different this time. He wasn’t standing behind the throne, so he could see everything in gruesome detail. He winced as Bendy’s ink began to move and reshape into the massive beast he knew. 

He was frozen in place, only able to watch, until suddenly, a hand gripped his arm and pulled him to the right. Stumbling from both suddenly being able to move again and nearly tripping over the stairs on the throne, Norman practically dragged him around it to the other side, but didn’t release the vise-like grip on his arm. Henry’s eyes travelled downward, to the reel in his hands. Then his eyes snapped to Norman’s projector head. 

And just like that, he had an idea. 

However, before he could even move, movement caught his eye. The beastly version of the twisted cartoon towered over them both, long, sharp teeth glinting in the light. Then he roared and swung his massive hand. Henry’s eyes widened and snapped toward his companion in the split second he had before the fist collided with his chest, sending him flying through the air and crashing through the wall. 

He managed to get to his feet, one hand on the wall for support.  
“Norman!” He called, wincing at the pain in his ribs. He heard a screech and another roar.

“_ Norman!" _ He shouted louder, a note of panic entering his voice. He darted toward the nearest lever, keeping an eye out for Bendy, but he was nowhere to be seen. This was just an incentive for him to run faster, barely slowing down as he pulled each lever. Finally, he pulled the final one, then sprinted toward the now-open hallway.

Just as he turned into the hallway, he collided with just the ink creature he’d been looking for.

“Norman! Thank goodness you’re okay!” He blurted. Norman nodded and glanced behind him. 

“Where is-” He was interrupted by an enraged roar, and he spun around to see Bendy lumbering toward them. He took a deep breath and turned back to Norman.

“I hope this works,” he muttered. “Norman, hold still.” He reached upward trying to put the End reel into his projector. Norman complied, seeming to understand as Henry fumbled to fit the reel into the proper place. However, it seemed as though their luck wasn’t going to last.

Norman screeched and stumbled backward suddenly, and Henry didn’t even have time to turn around before a massive fist sent him flying into the wall— again. He landed hard, and he could have sworn he heard something snap as the air was knocked from his lungs and he slumped to the floor.

The End reel clattered to the ground just out of reach. 

Sucking in a breath through his teeth and blinking the dark spots from his eyes, he tried to stand up, but at the movement white-hot pain shot through his ribs. Gritting his teeth, he glanced Norman’s way. He was backing away slowly as Bendy lumbered closer. He had to act quickly, or else everything he’d done would be for nothing. Taking a deep breath, he got to his knees and crawled toward the reel, ignoring the roiling agony in his chest. His fingers finally grasped around the reel, and he lifted into the air as he shouted.

“_ Norman!” _ Norman’s gaze snapped toward him. Using the wall to pull himself up, he glared at Bendy.

“Hey, over here!” The twisted toon slowly turned toward him.

“Yeah, come and get me!” He taunted, starting to slowly step backwards, one hand still on the wall and the other holding the reel in the air. Bendy let out a deep growl and took a step toward him, then sped up into a full-on run. When the massive beast was about to ram into him, he dove out of the way, simultaneously throwing the End reel. He landed on his stomach, the pain in his chest so strong it took him several seconds to blink away the stars and ignore the dizzying nausea. He could deal with that later, right now, this was the only thing that mattered. He managed to lift his gaze to his companion, who held the reel in two inky hands. 

“Play it,” he wheezed, his ribs feeling like they’d just been stabbed by a dozen red-hot knives. But he couldn’t see whether Norman was playing it or not, as a hand grabbed his back, lifting him into the air as the inky claws wrapped around his chest. Then he was face-to-face with the beast himself. Even though his teeth were long and sharp, not like the perpetual grin he usually wore, it still seemed like it was smiling as those claws tightened around his torso.

Oh crap, was he going to kill him? He couldn’t, not now! Not when he was so close!

Then Bendy’s head turned, attention seemingly drawn elsewhere. Henry managed a glimpse in the same direction, to find the Norman had nearly succeeded in putting the reel in position. Bendy roared and suddenly dropped him, dashing toward Norman with more speed than he’d ever seen him use, beast or otherwise. Norman fumbled for a few more seconds before there was a 

**_click_ **

and the reel started to turn. Henry propped himself up on his elbows, as much as his damaged ribs would allow as he watched, a hopeful gleam entering his eyes. The light from his projector grew brighter, brighter than a projector should, and Bendy skidded to a stop. He roared right in Norman’s face, reaching out, before stumbling backwards. Finally, he let out one last hair-raising roar as he disintegrated, the glow growing brighter and brighter. Everything was bathed in a brilliant white light as Henry squeezed his eyes shut.

After a few seconds, the glow began to fade.

His heart hammering painfully in his chest, he took a deep breath.

And he opened his eyes.


	5. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They did it. Henry and Norman defeated the Ink Demon. Henry can't believe it. The loop is broken. The only thing left to do is find everyone else and get out, though doing so may be rather difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block is great. Just great, guys. BUT HERE WE ARE. Thank you guys for sticking with me, enjoy the final chapter!

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the ceiling far above his head. He wasn’t standing up? 

He made a move to sit up, but as soon as he did so he was reminded of the injuries to his torso. He fell back to the floor with a groan as pain shot through him. Reaching a hand up, he gingerly ran his fingers over his chest. His ribs had to be broken in several different places, and they seemed to hurt more than they did earlier. It had to have been the adrenaline that made the pain not as noticeable, but now it felt like his chest was on fire. 

The sound of coughing caught his attention. 

He tensed, eyes snapping toward the source of the sound, only to see… a man. He was facing away from Henry, doubled over and coughing up what looked like ink. Wait, was that- 

“...Norman?” He said, the word barely louder than a whisper. But the other seemed to hear him, as he turned suddenly. The man’s grey eyes widened as they met his green ones, both seeming equally surprised to see each other. 

“Henry?” He croaked, voice sounding very, very hoarse. “Henry, what’s-” he was cut off by another fit of coughing, bending over again and placing one hand on the wall to steady himself with the other wrapped around his stomach as he hacked more ink from his lungs. 

“Yeah, it’s me. Norman you’re… you’re okay. You’re… well, you’re…” He winced as he tried to sit up again, managing this time despite the pain. The coughing fizzled out and former projectionist brought a hand, a normal human hand, up to his face. 

“What do you-” His hand touched the side of his face and he froze. The man completely froze, eyes widening and mouth dropping open. Then he brought both hands in front of his face, staring at them like they were foreign objects as he turned them over, different emotions flitting across his face. Disbelief, wonder, awe, and maybe just a flicker of nervousness too. Then he looked up again. 

“Henry, are you okay? What happened?”

“Well old friend,” he smiled. “It looks like we did it. We won.”

“It certainly looks that way,” he mumbled, eyes traveling around the massive hallway they were still in before glancing at his hands again, still looking rather shocked. And Henry couldn’t blame him. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel the same way. 

“Do you… you know, remember everything?” He asked. Norman grimaced. 

“A lot of things, yeah. Although some things, I dunno. It felt like I really wasn’t in my right mind a lot of the time. It’s kind of a haze.” He sighed, rubbing his hands together. “Are you alright? It looks like that hurts,” Norman nodded toward him. Henry frowned, glancing down at his chest. 

“I think I have at least one broken rib… Which isn’t exactly good, considering how much climbing we’ll have to do to get out of here.”

“Speaking of, do you think we can actually leave now? For real?” Norman asked quietly. Henry sighed. 

“I sure hope so.” He tried to get to his feet, but a flash of agony shot through his ribs, sending him straight back to where he’d been sitting. Norman came toward him. 

“Here, you can lean on me.” He said, extending a hand to help Henry up. He accepted it gratefully, managing to stand and wrap an arm around his companion’s shoulder. Then they started toward where they’d left Allison and Tom. 

~~~

“Norman, can I tell you something?” 

“Sure,” replied the other. “What is it?”

“This is going to sound crazy, but-” Norman interrupted him.

“Are you kidding? Look around. After all that’s happened, it’ll take a lot for something to sound crazy.”

“I guess you’re right. Well, the thing is… I’ve been stuck in a time loop.” Norman’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“Everything we went through together in the studio? I’ve done it before. Hundreds of times. Except normally you’re not with me,” Henry explained. Norman opened his mouth, but he continued before Norman had a chance to interrupt.

“The elevator crashes, I have no choice but to go on a wild goose chase trying to save Boris, only to have to kill him because Alice turned him into a monster… Allison and Tom kill her, take me captive, only to leave me behind, I escape and run into Sammy, and normally it’s Tom who kills him. Everything that happened a few minutes ago, I usually have to do it all myself. But when I finally play the End Reel, I wake up in Joey’s apartment. He talks to me, the same thing every time, then before I know it, I’m back in the studio again with no choice but to do it all again.”

Norman didn’t say anything for a moment. Then:

“That’s a lot to take in.” Henry nodded in agreement. “How many times…?”

“I stopped counting a long time ago. Probably thousands.” He was quiet again for a few minutes.

“And… what about me?” 

Henry sighed. “Normally you just try to kill me if you see me.” Norman winced.   
“I’m s-”

“Don’t be. The only one who should be sorry is Joey.” Norman nodded, his expression darkening.

~~~

It was slow going, but eventually they made it to the ink pool. The two toons were nowhere to be seen. Of course, this was the first time this had happened, so Henry had no idea where they would be. 

Luckily they hadn’t gone too far. They found them near the entrance to the administration offices. And it seemed that Norman hadn’t been the only one. They were hugging each other tightly, and it looked like Allison was crying, her shoulders shaking beneath her long blonde hair. 

“Allison? Tom? Are you guys alright?” Henry called. Tom looked in their direction while Allison jumped as though startled. 

“You did it,” Allison remarked, her face breaking into a smile, tears still running down her cheeks. “You both really did it…” Then she seemed to realize something. 

“Oh my- Norman?” He nodded.

“Oh, how could I have forgotten?” She shook her head, sniffing. “Sorry, I just- I can’t believe it. We’re free.” She turned to Thomas and hugged him again. A small smile formed on the man’s face.

“How’d you do it?” He asked them.

“We can tell you later, what matters now is that we get out of this place,” Norman said quickly.

“And find the others,” Henry added. “But how do we get back up?” He asked.

“I still have that rope,” Allison suggested, nodded toward a coil of rope on the floor. Henry winced. 

“I can’t climb. I think I broke a rib or two.” She nodded thoughtfully. 

“We can find some stairs,” Tom said. “I think I remember where they are, but the door could be locked. In that case, there’s this.” He held up the axe.

“Alright then. Let’s go,” Norman said.

~~~

They eventually reached the Lost Ones’ Harbor. It was much noisier than usual. It was void of Lost Ones, but there were an abundance of employees, their emotions ranging from joy to confusion to anger. The last of the three was mostly directed toward a certain music director. While there were a multitude of people marvelling at their regained bodies and memories, there were no shortage of people surrounding the unfortunate man.

“You were absolutely batty even before any of this even happened!” Someone shouted accusingly. 

Sammy held up his hands defensively. “It wasn’t my fault!” The normally irate and sharp man looked completely bewildered, disbelieving, and… guilty, too. 

“Sammy’s right.” Henry had to shout to be heard over the hubbub. Most fell quiet, turning to look at the four as they made their way into the wide-open area. “It _ isn’t _ his fault. If anyone’s to blame, it’s Joey.”

Many muttered in reluctant agreement, shooting Sammy poisonous glares before moving away from him. Norman still supporting Henry, they made their way to Sammy. Henry’s initial thoughts had been correct, the man looked completely different than he’d ever acted before. Not snappy and rude the way Henry knew him before leaving the studio, and not, well, completely nuts like he’d known him after returning. He looked shocked and bewildered, a look that was unfamiliar on his face, although Henry didn’t blame him. To suddenly regain everything he’d lost— his body, sanity, memories, heck, even his life, and then immediately get jumped on by people who’d similarly regained theirs, well, Henry felt bad for the guy. But… something didn’t quite add up. Sammy looked guilty too. Sure, probably for things he’d done after the studio fell. But what did they mean, ‘he was batty before any of this happened’? He decided he’d ask at some point, but it didn’t matter right now. 

“Everybody listen up!” Thomas called. People turned, wide eyes meeting theirs. 

“Is that Henry?” someone asked. Thomas continued.

“We’re all going to get out of here, who’s coming with us?” People clambered forward, the massive cave-like room erupting into chatter. 

“Wait, we can finally leave?”

“What about the Ink Demon?”

“I can’t wait to kick Joey’s—”

“Everybody quiet down!” Henry yelled. The area went quiet, aside from some excited murmurs. “Bendy is gone. As for Joey… I want revenge as much as the rest of you, but we need to get out first. And find everyone else. It’ll be a pain to get across this river five people at a time, so does anyone know another way?” 

“There’s a tunnel through one of these shacks,” someone supplied helpfully. 

“Alright,” Norman said. “Let’s get goin’, and make sure to look out for others.” 

~~~

They made surprisingly good time, despite the number of people in the group and Henry’s injuries. They hurt a bit less after a while, enough so that he could walk without help from Norman. Allison and Tom lead, Norman and Henry behind them, and Sammy following a few paces behind. He was staying in front of the rest of the group, but behind the four of them, keeping to himself. Which was relatively normal for the reclusive music director, except that he looked rather… miserable. One would think he’d be happier, considering how far he was willing to go to have his body back. That’s what Henry thought, at least. 

They made their way through the last part of the Haunted House ride, finally emerging into the large room where he’d always had to fight Boris. He scanned the room, spotting exactly two people. One was Susie Campbell. She was leaning against the wall, hugging her knees, and sobbing. The other was a boy he didn’t recognize. He was sitting against the opposite wall, but his wide eyes snapped towards them as they entered the room. He went over to the former voice actress first.

“Susie?” She looked up suddenly, her face streaming with tears. 

“Oh, Henry,” she cried, burying her face in her hands. He put a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay. Everything’s fixed now. It’s okay.” His words only seemed to make her cry harder. But he knew exactly why she was so upset, especially if she remembered everything. After a few moments, he straightened and slowly made his way over to the boy. He stood up quickly.

“What’s your name?” Henry asked.

“Uh, most people call me Buddy. But I guess you knew me as Boris. I dunno, a lot of it was fuzzy. You’re Henry, right? I think I remember that.” 

“Yeah, that’s me. Listen, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, sir. It wasn’t your fault. And like I said, it was pretty fuzzy. I’ve heard a lot about you, though.” He smiled. 

“Do you know Susie?” Henry asked, nodding toward her. Buddy shook his head.

“Not really. She didn’t work here when I was hired. And she hasn’t done much else than cry since we all went back to normal. I tried talking to her and stuff, but she didn’t listen.” Henry nodded. 

“Well we’re making our way to the exit, so you should probably stay with us. I’m going to go see if I can talk to her though, alright?” Buddy nodded and smiled again. As Henry walked back over to Susie, a thought crossed his mind. _ Huh. I always figured that Boris was Wally. _

“Susie.” He kneeled down and put both hands gently yet firmly on her shoulders. 

“Look at me.” After a moment she reluctantly lifted her head, still sniffing.

“It’s not your fault, alright? It’s not your fault.” He repeated. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again.

“I-I did so many horrible things…” she mumbled. “So many.”

“It wasn’t really you.”

“That boy over there, I—”

“Susie, it wasn’t your fault. He doesn’t blame you, so you shouldn’t either.” She rubbed her eyes.

“I… I guess so,” she said in a small voice. 

“Come on. We’re leaving this place.” He said, standing up and extending a hand to her. She grabbed it gently and pulled herself up, and Henry did his best not to wince as the pain in his chest flared. As they turned to return to the others and continue forward, he turned to her.

“You’re not her,” he said firmly. She gave him a small nod. 

“...Thank you, Henry.” 

~~~

They continued through the studio, picking up people here and there, a few of them Henry recognizing. Most from the tape recordings he’d memorized by now, as they’d been hired long after he left. They found Bertram Piedmont in the warehouse, looking rather disconcerted. Henry tried talking to a few of the employees he hadn’t met, but most of them were pretty disoriented. 

It took them a few hours, although most of that was figuring out a way up without the elevator, but they eventually reached Level 14. From there, after Norman pointed out the door that lead to more stairs, and as they trudged through the ink, Henry heard someone snap at Sammy.

“What, gonna drink it?” Henry looked back to see who had said it, but he wasn’t sure who had done so. His eyes strayed to Sammy, but the man avoided his gaze. 

“You doing alright, Sammy?” he asked. Sammy didn’t respond for a moment before finally giving him a small nod. Henry shifted his gaze to the group of people following behind and gave them a glare, hoping to communicate to whoever had said it to cut it out. Then he turned again, moving forward toward the door, wondering just how much of the story he was missing.

they made their way higher, making good time up to the first floor. 

Allison peered down into the hole in the floor.

“Who—” 

“That was me,” Henry admitted sheepishly.

“Well it looks too big to jump. Even if it isn’t, we don’t want to risk anyone falling.” 

“I’ll be right back,” Thomas said, axe in hand. He turned and walked down the hallway, weaving between people. When he returned, he had an armful of boards. They helped him lay them across the gaping hole, creating a makeshift bridge. As they stood in front of the door, Henry tried the handle. There was a click. He turned to Tom.

“Tom, can you—”

“Why don’t you do the honors, Henry?” He asked, handing him the axe. Henry nodded, then hefted the axe above his head. 

Moments later, Henry pulled the door open, bright sunlight streaming into the dusty studio. His breath caught in his throat as he stepped forward, outside, for the first time in forever. _ Finally _. He moved to the side to allow the others to come out as well. Norman turned to him as he stepped out, eyes wide. 

“I can’t believe it. We’re out.” He said in disbelief. Henry nodded, smiling wide. 

“I was starting to think I never would,” he admitted, then took a deep breath of fresh air. He watched as employees filtered through the doorway, finally seeing the sky for the first time in thirty years. He smiled, then remembered something. 

“Hey everyone!” He called. Heads turned, but not all of them. “How’d you like to pay Joey a little visit?” _ That _ caught people’s attention. “He still lives in New York, I know that much. You guys want to go now, or—” 

The answer was obvious.

“Alright, I do kinda need medical attention, but I’m all for visiting Joey first. And,” the next part was quiet enough that only those closest to him could hear, _“I get first dibs.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand that's a wrap! I'll leave the ending up for the reader's interpretation. Do they go find Joey and fricking punch him in the face (or worse) like he deserves? Did Joey realize that everyone escaped and then, in a panic, moved to Antarctica? Did they decide to show mercy on the guy and just called the police, getting him arrested for kidnapping and (attempted) murder? I mean, most of them have been declared dead for thirty years, I'm pretty sure the court would be in their favor. 
> 
> Whatever the outcome, they all eventually find some therapy and move on with their lives. Henry is reunited with Linda after being missing for two and a half years (I did the math!), and he can *finally* put the past behind him. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! OH, and I'm going to add an alternate ending in the form of another chapter, it'll probably be posted within the next couple days. If not, my apologies, I've been really busy these past couple weeks. AGAIN, thank you guys so much. Without your comments, we wouldn't be here right now. I really hope you liked it just as much as I liked writing it. ^^


	6. Alternate Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate ending for poor, naive Henry, who really thought that escape would be that easy.
> 
> (Replaces chapter 5)

The very moment his eyes opened, the color drained from his face. He was standing now, his injuries an already fading memory, his heart pounding in his ears as he knew instantly where he was. 

_ No, no, no, no, no, no, nononono this can’t be happening! _

His chest was so tight it felt as though he could hardly breathe. No longer was he surrounded by the sepia tones of the studio, no, everything was in full color. The reddish-brown walls, the faded green carpet, the similarly green patterned armchair in front of a small box TV… The sight of the room filled him with dread and panic that nothing else he'd ever dealt with in the studio could match.

His legs moved him forward, without his permission, toward the kitchen in the next room. He wanted to scream, yell, run,  _ anything _ , but his mouth stayed shut as his feet took him through the doorway. Old music from the cartoon he’d helped make so many years ago was playing on an old radio as Joey Drew stood at the sink, his back to him. 

“Henry? So soon?”

He strained to move, to do anything but stand at the counter and watch and listen, but his body paid him no mind. He’d never been in control here, in the cramped apartment of his old friend. It was like it was hardly anything more than some demented cutscene. 

There was nothing he could do but listen to the man’s words, the man he’d once considered his best friend. 

There was nothing he could do as Joey leaned against the counter, nearly finished with the little speech he’d heard so many times. 

“Henry, come visit the old workshop. There’s something I need to show you.”

There was nothing he could do as he pointed past Henry, to that door. That door that he hated with every fiber of his being. 

There was nothing he could do as he stepped toward it, the door opening back into that first hallway, though he tried. He  _ tried _ , he strained every nerve of his body as he tried to pull backwards, away from that dreaded hallway. 

But there was nothing he could do as he stepped past the threshold, the old wooden planks creaking beneath his feet as the door slammed shut behind him. 

The moment his control returned and he could move again, he whirled around, banging his fists against the door.

“LET ME _OUT _!”

But there was nothing he could do. He was completely helpless, stuck here, forced to continually repeat the same insane story every time. Every  _ damn _ time. Still pounding on the door, he let out a string of obscene curses toward Joey at the top of his lungs, none of which can be printed here for the sake of keeping the story rated ‘G’. 

Finally, breathing heavily, he leaned against the door, staring down the hallway in front of him. 

There was one thing he could do. It was grasping at straws and probably impossible, but he had to try. He took a deep breath and started looking for the objects. 

He  _ had _ to try, he  _ had _ to see if it would happen again. If Norman would... if he would be lucid enough to do something besides kill him on sight. 

But a gut feeling, one that he just couldn’t shake, told him that it had been just a one-time occurrence. 


End file.
